Sinker and method of loop transferring



27, 11953 E. 51. PIERRE 2,526,512

SINKER AND METHOD LQOP TRANSFERRING Filed My 29, 1951 [/I/VEA/TOR Patented Jan. 27, 1953 UNITED S'i'A'i' EdriENT QFFICE SINKER AND METHOD OF LOOP TBANSFERRING Eugene St. Pierre, Pawtucket, R. I., assignor to Hemphill Company, Central Falls, R. 1., a corporation of Massachusetts Application May 29, 1951, Serial No. 228,926

3 Claims. 1

cylinder needles after which plain knitting may be performed on the full complement of cylinder needles alone.

To effect the transfer of dial needle rib loops to cylinder needles, it is necessary that the cylinder needles which are to receive the dial needle loops be brought suiiiciently close to the dial needles that they can pass through the dial needle loops. As is well known, this transfer of loops is an extremely delicate operation requiring the nicest adjustment of the machine parts involved and that drop-stitches and other defects frequently occur even when the greatest care has been taken. This difficulty is greatest in the finer gauges because of the extremely small size of the knitted loops. It will be obvious that, if the dial needle loops which normally are narrow can be widened at the time of transfer, the act of transferring can be made more positive. The sinker of this invention accomplishes this without permanently affecting the size or shape of the loops so that the transfer retains its desired. characteristics.

The widening of the loops is accomplished by projecting each sinker inwardly at the time of transfer so that its nib penetrates the corresponding dial loop, the loop becomes widened in consequence with the result that the cylinder needle which is to receive the loop can pass through it with greater ease and certainty.

The sinker selected for purposes of description is shown in the drawing of which Fig. 1 is a side elevation and Fig. 2 is a plan view.

As shown in Fig. 1, the sinker consists of the usual body I and tail 2 having an operating butt 3. It is also provided with a, nib 4 which is bent slightly out of alignment with the rest of the sinker, as best shown in Fig. 2. Also, the tip 5 of the nib 4 is bevelled, as best shown in Fig. 2, so that its sides are of unequal length. Since rib fabric is knitted on cylinder and dial needles in alternation, the loops are slightly tilted with respect to the radial planes in which the needles operate. This explains why it is desirable to spring nib 4 slightly out of line since 2 this aligns it more nearly with the tilted dial loop and insures that the nib will penetrate the loop. A further insurance of penetration is provided by the bevel at the tip 5 of the nib since this creates a point at the tip of the nib which is the best possible shape to insure entry of the nib into the loop. Furthermore, the bevel creates a wedge-shaped loop expanding surface which minimizes the strain upon the loop as it is expanded. It has been found by actual test that by using this sinker so operated that its nib will penetrate a dial loop just before the cylinder needle is caused to pass through it a practically positive and perfect transfer is assured. Thus one of the most troublesome and difficult problems associated with combined rib and plain knitting is solved.

It will be understood, of course, that the invention is not limited to the sinker shown and described herein.

I claim:

1. For an independent needle, knitting machine having a dial and cylinder, each of which is provided with a complement of needles, a sinker having a nib, the tip of which is offset from the rest of the sinker, said tip also being bevelled laterally so that its sides are of unequal length.

2. A method of transferring a loop of knitted fabric from a dial needle to a cylinder needle which includes projecting a sinker inwardly so as to penetrate and widen said loop on said dial needle, and then passing said cylinder needle through said loop.

3. A method of transferring a loop of knitted fabric from a dial needle to a cylinder needle which includes projecting a sinker inwardly so that its nib penetrates and widens said loop on said dial needle, and then passing said cylinder needle through said loop.

EUGENE ST. PIERRE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 308,841 Grammes et al Dec. 2, 1884 1,874,198 Larmour Aug. 30, 1932 2,040,319 Lombardi Ma 12, 1936 2,092,701 Ingalls Sept. 7, 1937 2,178,317 Wigley Oct. 31 1939 2,442,442 Shortland June 1: 194a 

